Ear protector



Jan, l5, 1935. M. MARGOLITH 1,988711 EAR PROTECTOR Filed July 29, 1952 @www Patented Jan. 15, 1935 UNITED PATE-.NT orti-roe .-Lasaon .IzRoTEoToR Moraicha fMargouth, znawthorne, calif.

.Applicatifon` July'29, ,19.32, Serial No. l.625641 This .invention relateso a .device for protectiingfzthe fears Iand :relates .more :particularly to-.a :deviceffor preventingI the :entranceiof watere etc., intoithe y,.ears. It isa general ,obet 0f 6111 i11- .5 ventionto provide appracticaLeanitary and-effec- :tive .device `for :protecting fthe ears :during shamrpooingf the .head .andrtreatmenteofithe fhair.

liii/Thenshampooing :the head .and treating the '.hair, Water or 4.otherlliquijd :often .enters rthefears,

.lo I.which is .extremely uncomfortable, .andin some instanceafinjurous.

.Aniobiectiof .the present; inventionzis'zto .provide a device .:forrpreventng the entrance -;of rrWater, fete., into .the .ears;during.thegshampooingrof the .l head .or treatmentrof :the fhair, .thatis .convenient 'tohandleandfeasyztorapply.

It is .another object of `the finvention'itorpro- 4vvide an .-earfprotectng :device l,of the character Amentioned that .is comfortable @Whenin position .20 :lon 'thefgearaiand vthat gives a :pleasant :sense v.of security againstthe .passage yorwater etc., .into

.the ears.

It is another object of the invention itofprovide an ear protecting device of the'acharacter .25 mentioned thatfdoes'notmaterially interfere with then-caring whenin .its `.,protectixre rposition on thegears.

.Itis another object of :the invention .tto 'prosvidaan .ear protector. ofzthe character mentioned 3,0 zthat .includes .replaceable ior :renewable -rsanitary Shields that prevent .drect feonta'ct' of any ..of `the parts fof the device with :the ears or head vfof Ithe :userror wearer.

it ;is` .another object .of (the invention ato :pro-

135 widesanitaryshieldsifor use Oman eariprotecting vdevice of zthe character A'mentioned that .are formed;sozthatztheyfmayibe.ieasilyfandrquicklyrap plied to andz.detached rom ithearf inclnsing :elements of :the .device. f 1

-It is :another .object i of zthe dnve'ntionfto vpro- ',vide an A'ear protecting device .iof the Lcharacter Amentioned 'that .is .compact :and flight 4vin :weight 'and A.that .is .simple and .inexpensive `of imanuifacture.

:A :furtherobjeot of. the .invention is to prowide .fa ydeyiee :for :protecting the .ears vin which fthe .ear covering elements fare .automatically held vin-their `properposition on1theears '-'bylmeans ofthe band or strap that-connects them.

lFurther objects and lfeatures of the `linvention-will be best and more fully understood lfrom the following detailed description o'f Aa Itypical 'form and application of the invention, throughout which description reference nis had *to the :55 accompanying drawing, in which: v

.fl.ig..1 is awView-illustratingthe deviceiprovided by `the invention in position on the ears ofz'a wearer. `Fig. 2 is .a .top or yplan view0f -the device. fFig. .3.is anenlarged side elevation of V.one of the ear inclosingandgprotecting units showing ythe sanitary shield -inpo'sition .on the unit. 4:..isia-view similar to Fig. 3., .being a View of the inner side of the unit with the-sanitary .shield removed. Fig. 5'is an enlargedtransverse detailed f'sectional lView taken as `indicated fby .f line 5-:5.on Fig. -3. Fig. 6is a sideelevation of .the sanitary `shield for 'use in the ear ,protect- Ving unit.. and Fig. '7 is averticaldetailed sectional Avie-w :takenas indicated-.by line 7--7`on Figf.

Theaear protecting devicegprovided'by :the `invention includes i generally, two -ear protecting ...units :Aeeach .including afb'ody 1'0 andayielding :member 1-.1 aon the body-forfsealing.about-the ear, .replaceable sanitaryshields 12 furthe .units.A, :anda-afstrap .or band 13fconnecting theiunits Aand operable to "yieldingly Yhold the units in their proper positions on the f ears.

'.The earzprotecting units` Aare alike oridentical :in construction -and design, one being intended :for the :right ear and vthe other for the 'left Lear. theunitsf-A are.alike, YIzwill proceedwith a description of one unit, .it :being understood fthat .fthe description may apply equally well to :both athe `units A.

.The aibody Al() '.of the unit lA Iis -a rat plate-dike :memberffor extending over fthe maj orfportioneof .the ear ;and;for carrying the sealing :member l1. The body 10 :may ibe :comparatively rigid lor runtyielding fand :may :be formed fof metal -or rother suitable material. .'In 'the event that thebodyis .iformed of metal, it `is ipreferred .to rplate it zor otherwise treat it to resist rust or corrosion. In accordance-wit'h`zthe invention, the body 10 is shaped '.tof-'conorm generally .to the outline of the .-humane'an'athatiis, tthexoutline of the body l0 .corresponds generally Lto the outline of the helix .andilobe'of'the.averagerhuman'ear.

`.'lhe"upper.andfouter edge ele of the bodyxl is `roundedorcurved tozcorrespondto the curvature lofthe-edge of the helix oftthe .earpwhileithe lower -e'clgel'xof'thebodyis roundedito correspond gen- `"orally to lIthe llobefof fthe ,.ear. 'The linner edge i116 of theibody 110 .which-occurs :adjacent .the line of ljo'indercf :the'forward portion of the ear with-the head, when ithe'unit is in vpos'itionon the ear, 'may 4 `be substantially straight Yas illustrated throughout the drawing. In `accordance -with .the Ainven- Ition, an-.openingl'l fis provided'in 'the lbodytofper- .mit sound toireach the ear. Means is .provided in econnection with the body l0 'to .prevent water orother liquid from passing through the sound opening 17. A louver 18 is provided on the outer side of the body 10 to exclude water from the opening 17. In the particular construction illustrated in the drawing, the sound opening 17 is substantially semi-circular, and the louver 18 is formed of the material that has been pressed outwardly from the body to provide the opening 17. It will be apparent how the opening 17 and the louver 18 may be formed by making a straight cut in the flat body 10 and bending the material outwardly from one edge of the cut to form the rounded louver 18.

During the shampooing of a womans head and treatment of her hair, the head is held with the face up as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, while a mans head is usually face downward when his head is being shampooed etc. When the ear protecting device is intended tobe used on women, the louver 18 extends downwardly as illustrated throughout the drawing to prevent the downwardly flowing water from passing through the opening. When the ear protector is intended to be used on men, the louver extends across or over the opening 17 toward the iiat inner edge 16 of the body so that it eifectively sheds the water when the head is positioned with the face down. f

The sealing member 1l is a yielding or resilient element provided on the body 10 to insure a proper seal between the body 10 and the head and ear of the user to prevent the leakage oi water into the ear. Further, the member 11 operates to properly center and hold the unit A on the ear. In the preferred form of the invention, the sealing member 11 is integral and is formed of rubber, or the like. It is preferred to construct the member 11 oi a good grade of gum rubber so as to be pliable and soft. In accordance with the invention, the sealing member 11 is carried on the edge portions of the body 10 and extends completely around the body. A groove 19 is provided in the inner edge of the member 11 to receive the edge portions of the body 10. The groove 19 is proportioned so that the member 11 tightly grips the body 10 when the member is in its position on the body.

The sealing member 11 in being exible, may be easily and quickly sprung on to the body 10 so that the edge portions of the body are received in the groove 19. Due to the construction of the member 11 and its manner of connection with the body 10, it may be readily replaced when desired or necessary and may be removed for cleansing etc. It is to be understood that the sealing member 11 has a tight sealing t with the body 10. 'L v A lip or flange 20 is provided on the inner side of the sealing member 11 to engage over the upper and outer edge portions of the helix of the ear. The flange 20 is integral with the member 11 and is shaped to effectively engage over and partially around the upper and rear edge portions of the ear. In the preferred construction, lthe flange 21 extends along the entire upper edge portion of the member l1 and substantially the entire outer edgeportion of the member as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawing. The opposite ends of the flange 20 gradually taper away to join the main or principal part of the sealing member 11. The ange 20 is intended to l engage over the upper and rear edge portions of vthe ear and projects inwardly at an angle to the flat surface of the body 10 so as to be eective in its engagement with the ear. It will beappar- 4of. the iiange 20.

' engage over the ears.

ent how the ange 20 operates to properly position the unit A on the ear and to positively prevent the leakage of water into the ear.

The units A may be employed or used so that the yielding sealing member 1l directly engages the ears and head. However, the invention provides renewable or replaceable sanitary shields 12 adapted to be applied to the units A to prevent direct contact of any parts of the units with the ears and head of the user.

The shields -12 are simple and inexpensive, and may be easily and quickly applied to and removed from the ear protecting units A. Each shield 12 is a single piece of paper or other suitable material and is shaped so as to effectively cover the entire inner side of a unit A. The shape of the shield 12 corresponds generally to the shape of the ear protecting unit A. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the shield 12 is folded, shaped or pressedA to have a fold 25 along its upper and outer edge adapted to extend under the flange 20, and a rim or lip 26 to cover the outer side The fold 25 ts under the flange 20 in a manner to hold the flat major portion 27 of the shield in position where it extends across the inner side of the unit A, while the lip 26 is shaped to effectively conform to the configuration of the iiange 20 and to completely cover the outer side of the ilange. which the shield 12 ts on the unit A is clearly illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing. The main portion 27 of the shield 12 is preferably sufhciently large to project outwardly from the edges of the unit A. A sound opening 30a is provided L ln the flat major portion 27 of the shield to register with the opening 17 in the body 10. The opening 30EL is preferably somewhat larger than the opening 17 so as to insure its proper registration with the opening 17. It will be apparent how the shield may be easily and quickly applied to the unit and how it positively prevents direct contact between any part of the unit and the ear or head.

'I'he strap or band 13 connects the two units A and is adapted toy yieldingly hold them in position on the ears. The strap or band 13 may be formed of metal, such as spring steel or the like,

and may be suitably plated or polished. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the strap or band 13 is substantially Ushaped, being shaped to extend under the chin when the device is in use. The units A are pivotally connected to the opposite end portions of the strap or ,band 13.' In the particular case illustrated in the drawing, the units A are pivotally connected with the ends of the strap or band13 by suitable pins or rivets 28. The pivotal connections of the units A with the strap or band 13 is such that the units are free to tilt to a limited extent so that they may properly It is a feature of the invention that the strap or band 13 is shaped so that it does not come into contact with the face of the user of the device. outwardly adjacent the units A as at 29 in the drawing, and has straight parallel portions 30 which are maintained spaced from the cheek of the wearer by the bent parts 29. The central portion 31 of the strap or band 13 is rounded or curved to fit under the chin of the user with suitable clearance.

It is believed that the utility and practicability of the ear protector provided by the invention will be readily apparent from the foregoing de- The manner in The band 13 is benttailed description. The strap or band 13 is such that it may be easily sprung to allow for the ready and easy application of the units A to the ear. The loose pivotal connections of the units A with the strap or band 13 permit the units A to be properly arranged on the ears and allows the strap or band 13 to be swung to a free or comfortable position. The sanitary shields 12 may be easily applied to the units A prior to their positioning on the ears and positively prevent direct contact of any of the parts of the units with the ears or head. The openings 30a in the shields 12 register with the openings 17 in the bodies so that the hearing is not materially interfered with when the units are in position over the ears. When applying the units A to the ears, the flanges 20 engage over the upper and outer edge portions of the ears and thus partially support the units in their proper position on the ears. The resilient strap or band 13 yieldingly urges the units A inwardly against the ears so that effective seals are provided about the ears. The yielding sealing members 11 are shaped and formed so as to be particularly eiective in sealing about the ears and so as to be very comfortable. When it is desired to detach the device the lsides of the strap or band 13 may be bowed or sprung outward to permit the disengagement of the units A from the ears. It is to be noted that the invention provides a simple, effective device for protecting the ears and for preventing the entrance of water into the ears. The provision of the sanitary shields 12 particularly adapts the device for use in beauty shops, barber shops, etc. The device may be easily and quickly applied, and is comfortable when in position on the ears.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to limit myself to the specic details set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any changes or variations that may appear to those skilled in the art or fall Within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An ear protector of the character described comprising an ear enclosing unit including a body having an opening to allow sound to reach the ear, a louver on the body to exclude liquid from the opening, means on the body for sealing about the ear to exclude liquid therefrom, and a sanitary shield removably carried on the inner side of the unit to prevent direct contact of the body and said means with the wearer, there being an opening in the shield to register with the opening in the body.

2. In a device of the character described an ear protecting unit including a body having an opening to allow sound to reach the ear, and a yielding member on the body for sealing with the head adjacent the ear and having a flange for engaging over the edge portions of the helix of the ear, and a sanitary shield for the unit to prevent direct contact of said member with the head or ears, the shield having a fold to engage under the flange of the member, there being an opening in the shield registering with the opening in the body.

3. In a device of the character described an ear protecting unit including a body, and a yielding member on the body for sealing with the head adjacent the ear and having a ange for engaging over the edge portions of the helix of the ear, and a sanitary shield for the unit to prevent direct contact of said member with the head or ears, the shield having a fold to engage under the flange of the member and a lip to engage over the flange; the fold and lip removably holding the shield on the unit.

4. A sanitary shield for use on an ear protector having a yielding sealing member for sealing with the head and ear, there being a ange on the member for engaging over the edge of the ear said shield including a main part to extend over the inner side of the protector, a fold in the main part to extend under said flange, and a lip along an edge of the fold for engaging over the ange, the fold and lip removably holding the shield on the protector.

MORDICHA MARGOLITH. 

